Shapeshifter
by Sajira
Summary: A strange creature is banned to thundera.


_This is based on the new (shittier) version of Thundercats. _

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><p>Jaga eyed the Sky warily. The dark clouds were drifting uncharacteristically low and the deep rumble of thunder made his skin crawl.<p>

"You look worried, friend." Claudus stepped next to the mage by the window. "Is something wrong?"

"Indeed, my king. I sense something…odd." Jaga scratched his chin, trying to read the skies.

"Is Thundera in danger?" the king straightened up, ready for bad news.

"I cannot say for sure, but I have a feeling we shouldn't be worried." A great thunderclap followed his words and rain started to pour. "But an old Jaguar can be wrong." He looked out to the courtyard and watched it as puddles formed rapidly.

"By our ancestors, what is that?" Claudus ran out into the storm and looked up at the strange cloud formation. Jaga ran after him and looked up. The clouds were forming a dark funnel from which lightning shone. A shadow fell from it and crashed in the middle of the courtyard. Claudus drew the Sword of Omens while Jaga gripped his staff tighter. The shadow moved and groaned. Lightning struck and they were able to see a person getting up off the floor and looking at the retreating cloud funnel.

"This is not over!" a woman's voice yelled. Lightning struck again and both older cats saw two white feathered wings sprout out of her back. She flapped her wings and flew to the funnel's opening.

"What sorcery is this?" Claudus watched as the figure disappeared into the clouds. "Why is the Sword of Omens not working?"

"Remember, Claudus, it only works against Evil." Jaga craned his neck to watch the clouds.

"That's not much of a relief right now." Tygra came running into the courtyard to stand next to his father.

"Doesn't that mean that what's happening here isn't Evil?" Lion-O asked.

As if on cue, a deafening thunderclap roared with bright lighting and the winged figure fell again from the funnel and fell. A sickening crack was followed by a cry of pain.

"You bastard! This is my fight!" the woman stood up, one of her wings bent in an odd angle.

"You cannot reach this portal with a broken wing, fool!" a voice thundered from above.

"No, but I can open my own portal!" she stood on shaky legs and chanted out an incantation.

"I have never heard such a language!" Jaga stared at the glowing fog hovering in midair and as a battle scene appeared from inside it. The winged woman quickly jumped into it, only to be thrown out again this time landing awkwardly and crying out again. She steadied herself shakily, putting more weight on one foot than the other. Out of the fog stepped another figure, dressed in a dark cape and hood.

"You will not stand in my way again, abomination!" the man threw a bag at the woman's feet, from which a round object rolled. Lightning struck and shone on the object. The woman gasped and fell to her knees, taking the severed head into her arms. "With the abominations dead, there will be nothing in my way to rule my kingdom!"

The Sword of Omens reacted instantly to the hooded man. Claudus took that as his queue and stepped forward.

"Do not meddle, Cat!" the hooded man waved his hand and Claudus fell back into his sons' arms.

"If you want the riches of my kingdom, then you shall have them all!" she extended her hand and started chanting in that strange language.

"What are you doing? Stop it! No! I will have my revenge, abomination!" The cloaked man stepped back into the portal.

"Enjoy your riches, old man…" the woman watched the portal close.

Almost immediately, she collapsed passed out on the floor right on top of her broken wing.

"Bring her inside!" Claudus ordered the guards. "Call the healer!" he turned to the old Jaguar. "Jaga?"

"It seems that she is…a human." The cleric mused.

"Human?" Tygra frowned at the wings sprouting out of her back. "Aren't humans a lower race?"

"Should they be able to do magic?" Lion-O studied the woman. She was wearing battle armor and seemed well built…for a human.

"I have read that there are certain…anomalies…in the race." Jaga strained to remember what he had read of the humans.

"The other one…" Tygra remembered. "He called her an abomination."

"The term…" the woman groaned and sat up on the table she was laid on. "is shapeshifter." She hopped down from the table and tested her weight on her feet. "Shit." She limped back into the courtyard.

"You probably shouldn't be walking on a sprained ankle." Lion-O went to hold her elbow.

"I don't need your help, Cub." She limped outside and knelt by the severed head. Claudus shook his head when Lion-O opened his mouth to retort. They followed her outside instead and watched her caress the dark hair of the severed head in her lap. The rain had lessened into a drizzle now that the dark clouds were gone, and soon the sun would be out again.

"You may not want our help, but please tell us if we are under any threat." Jaga reasoned with her in a calm voice.

"My offender will no longer bother anyone. It was a simple but effective curse." She kept on holding the head. The sight was disturbing, but none of the cats interrupted. Thundera was their priority.

"Curse? And who was that man?" Claudus inquired.

"Unfortunately I was not strong enough to protect my own kingdom. The humans were intimidated by us shapeshifters and started rebelling. Their leader, Kheras wanted only riches." She sighed and looked up to the sky. The cats could see she was weak and tired, but continued talking. "So I cursed him. He wants gold, then gold he shall have."

"That does not sound like a curse to me." Lion-O muttered.

"It is when everything you touch turns to it. Food, people, animals… in the end he will be the only one in a golden world, either succumbing to madness or starving to death."

"You seem like a cruel person." Claudus commented.

"You would be too if you had lost your pretty castle. Tell me, is it nice to have a family?" she stood up shakily and held the head in her hands. "This is the last of mine." She muttered a couple of strange words and set the head on fire. It burned to crisps in seconds. "Rest in peace, little brother…" she dusted her hands off.

Claudus looked at Jaga, who nodded in encouragement.

"I apologize for the inconvenience I have caused. Show me your gates and I will no longer bother you."

"You're not going anywhere." Lion-O stepped in front of her. "You can barely walk, and I bet you can't fly with a broken wing either, so unless you have another spell up your sleeve to heal yourself, I sugges—"

"Get out of my way, Kitten."

"I'm sorry you just lost your little brother, but you can't talk to mine like that." Tygra hoisted her over his shoulder, taking care not to jostle her wing too much and made his way to the infirmary.

"Hmm, not the worst view, but please put me down." Tygra laughed and almost tripped when she gave his butt a good squeeze.

"You are a strange young woman." Claudus followed them.

"Never seen a broken wing before?" she propped her elbow on Tygra's back and held her chin to look at the king.

"Many." The king nodded. "But you're in a very good mood considering what just happened."

"You seem to be the king around here, am I right?" she smiled when he nodded and introduced himself. "Here's some advice, take it or leave it: Learn from the past, but let it go."

"Wise words." Tygra huffed.

"You getting tired, stripes?" she asked.

"How can you move with an armor this heavy?" they had arrived at the infirmary, where Tygra sat her on a bed.

"It isn't." she unstrapped it, letting it clank on the floor. "Useless piece of junk. A shapeshifter's bones, on the other hand…" She cringed, looking at her broken wing. "This is going to hurt…"

Jaga was eyeing her curiously. Maybe if he searched in the library he would find something about this strange creature. He watched as the healer came and examined her. She cautiously kicked her boot off and hissed as the healer prodded her ankle.

"Your ankle will be easy to fix, but I have never mended a broken wing this big…" the healer wrapped her ankle tightly and turned his attention to the crooked feathery mass.

"Can't you shift them back?" Jaga wondered.

"Not when they're damaged" she shut her eyes and breathed in. "Just snap it back in place."

"But…there certainly is a less painful way of do—" the healer was interrupted by a huff from the woman when she raised her own hand to feel her wing.

"It's actually not that bad, it's just dislocated." She grabbed the tip of the wing and handed it to Tygra. "You seem strong enough, do me a favor and pull this as hard as you can, stripes."

"My name is Tygra." He took the wing in his hand and inspected its soft feathers. "Are you sure?"

"Jus—" a loud snapping noise followed Tygra's harsh tug. "Holy shit!" she panted. After a while, she flexed and stretched her wing in different directions, seemingly satisfied.

"Better?" the healer asked.

"A bit sore, but it feels fine…I should be able to shift them back when they stop hurting" she stretched them to their full wingspan, blowing the cats a bit of wind and shaking a few droplets of water off.

"It's beautiful…" Lion-O whispered. He blushed when Tygra sniggered into his fist and the woman raised a curious eyebrow at him.

"You're sweet." She stated bluntly. Lion-O smiled at the compliment. "And young. Neither are traits that I hold in high regard, kitten." Lion-O frowned. "You don't seem much older than me. How old are you?" Tygra almost facepalmed. His brother never did learn proper etiquette around women.

"What is your name?" Claudus interrupted his son before any more damage could be done.

"I had one once, long ago. But as we shapeshifters were exiled I became just 'hey you'." She turned to Lion-O. "And as much as it is impolite to ask a woman her age, I could not tell you. I lost count after a couple of centuries."

"Ce-centuries?"

"I look good, don't I?" she grinned and hopped from the table. "Well, thank you for your hospitality, but I'll be on my wa—" she froze for a moment, then looked at Claudus. "Are you expecting company?"

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><p><em>Next should come thescene when Gruce comes back with the pretty trojan horse-stone-thingy. I'm not sure I'll be picking up this story again...<em>


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